Gardner Lake
New London County, Connecticut521 acresView mapDirections
CT DEEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Gardner Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Gardner Lake in New London County, Connecticut has water-quality measurements published by CT DEEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 26 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Surface area: 521 acres.
Gardner Lake is a 521-acre mesotrophic lake in New London County, Connecticut. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in New London County, Gardner Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2022-07-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Gardner Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Gardner Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Gardner Lake
These are the measurements CT DEEP publishes for Gardner Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 26 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.7 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 26µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.7µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Gardner Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
521 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by CT DEEP
No bathymetric survey has been published for Gardner Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Gardner LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Gardner Lake
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Fishing Gardner Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Gardner Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gardner Lake Dam (completed 1900), built primarily for recreation on the Gardner Brook; concrete-type dam, 10 ft tall and 168 ft long.
- Surface area
- 521 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,270 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,270 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5.63 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Connecticut DEEP
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CT00512 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in New London County
Frequently asked questions about Gardner Lake
Where is Gardner Lake?
- Gardner Lake is a lake in New London County, Connecticut. Its water-quality measurements are published by CT DEEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Gardner Lake?
- Gardner Lake in New London County, Connecticut has water-quality measurements published by CT DEEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 26 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Surface area: 521 acres.
Is Gardner Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Gardner Lake?
- Gardner Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Gardner Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Gardner Lake?
- Gardner Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Connecticut's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Gardner Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Connecticut
Other Lakes in Connecticut
Mesotrophic Lakes in Connecticut
Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- Connecticut Department Of Energy And Environmental Protection
CT_DEP01_WQX10 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory